Dark Paradise
by stripper-zombie-hunter
Summary: Jim just wanted his fairy tale ending...
1. Chapter 1

_The past has a tendency to creep on you..._

'No no that's shit.'

_Running from the devil isn't just a metaphor_

'God damn it I'm really no good at this.' Sara leaned back in her chair. Staring at the blank page on her computer was too depressing. It really shouldn't be this hard to write a memoir! She flicked to her Facebook page to mindlessly kill time.

No notifications. Not that she was surprised. She hadn't update anything in about six months now. The only thing she did was change her status back to single and delete every picture that reminded her of the year and half from hell she had.

Plenty of people were getting married or going out with friends, Bethany was pregnant! It was all so normal. So ordinary. So boring. It actually made her feel very safe. Life was still happening. The world was turning round and round without Jim being there to spin it.

Shit she let herself think about him. Memories began to flood her mind again. Her old apartment, their apartment, the elevator…

She began to breathe deeply, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Hopefully she could avoid another panic attack. She debated giving her therapist Chris a call….she had suggest that if she ever need to calm down. Sara didn't like phone calls. She did even have a phone anymore.

Her computer chirped, bringing her back to a reality. Back to quaint, quiet little flat outside London.

_Sara it's been so long! How are you?_ Her friend Jess had messaged her. It was the first time she had spoken to her since she had moved. The first time she had spoken to any of her old friends actually. She bit her lip in thought and began to type

_I'm doing alright, how are you?  
Lord I miss you! We need to talk, but face to face like normal people. Are you busy this week?_

Sara grimaced. It wasn't really a secret that she was no longer engaged and seriously depressed. Most of her friends had given up on reaching out. Jess was one of the few holding out, inviting her out, trying to get her to meet up with someone.

She really didn't want to leave. She looked at herself. It'd been a good three days since she showered, she knew she put on at least fifteen pounds and was wearing the sweatpants she had slept in. In short she was a bit of a mess.

_I'm rather busy _guilt panged her stomach. Jess was a nice girl. _But I think I'm free on Saturday. _

Chris would commend her. Seeing people would help her adjust again, remind her that people care about her.

_Sounds Great! Meet up at Ruby's?_

Sara felt sick again. This was going to suck so much. She looked at her blank word document. Well the world changing, bestselling novel of the year wasn't going to write itself.

_My ex-fiancé is a psychopath. _

_xx_

Sara waited quietly at a booth. She hadn't done anything to look particularly special, but avoided looking particularly pathetic as well. This was a chance to prove she had a life and was moving on. But that didn't mean she'd be dating anytime soon. She avoided anything to sexy or revealing. But she did not want the pitiful looks she'd get from Jess if she wore anything with the word 'sweat' in it.

Her eye was fixed on the door. Being alone in public was not fun, without a cellphone she wouldn't be able to know if Jess canceled.

It was only 15 minutes, she could be caught in traffic. Sara slumped her head onto her elbow.

This wasn't a puzzle. This wasn't a game. This was coffee with a friend. It was _normal. _It was _fun._ It wasn't something to be suspicious of.

The waiter who had seated eyed her again and Sara shrugged sympathetically. He let a frustrated sigh and went back to the kitchen. It was not very busy, most people were out at pubs in the evening on a Saturday. The wait staff's attention on her only made her feel more uncomfortable and glance at her watch even more.

She was about to bail, twenty minutes was past a little late. She stood up but luckily Jess ran into the shop that very second.

"No no no! Sit down! I'm so late, my head was in the clouds!" the redhead barreled over to the table nearly smashing into a waitress refiling someone's cup. Sara smiled. Here we go…

Jess sat down and quickly flagged a waiter. "Hi love, two coffees booth black for now? Thanks!" She quickly shooed him off as suddenly as she had called him. She was busting with energy. "Oh Sara it's so good to see you! It's been far too long. Tell me everything that's been going on! How's your mum? How's that job at Marshall's going? I've always heard retail is a bitch but you've got a smart eye for fashion. Lord knows you can put up with idiots well…"

Sara happily nodded along with Jess's ramblings. It felt a bit like old times. She didn't need to say much either, which was of course a bonus.

"Well David was a complete arse. Bugger was still in love with that Victoria chick. So he's gone. Thank god too. We're back in the single's pool again!" She reached her hand out to pat hers but Sara recoiled. Her entire body tensed up. She was not prepared for this. She didn't want to discuss anything. "Oh…I'm sorry dear. I suppose it was a bit insensitive of me to bring that up. My bad. I have tendency to do that, I don't mean it you don't that don't you? I just babble…"

Sara had gotten very good at just nodding along. Jess was one of the many people that would take that as a sign to keep talking thank god. Despite that little bump the entire time was very pleasant.

"I'm glad you got me to come out here." Sara said giving her friend a smile. Jess's face light up in triumph.

"I'm glad you decided to come! It's always nice to catch up. We should see more of each other."

"We should." Sara nodded. Jess lifted her to fetch her phone which had been vibrating. Tonight had been much better then she suspected. Sara could honestly say she felt rather cheerful after this.

"Some weirdo, he's got the wrong number." Jess said with a roll of her eyes.

"That's annoying." Sara commented, although she hadn't experienced that in about a year so she really wasn't sure.

"I know, I got a call from Swinton the other day! Some old broad who could figure out touch screens!" Sara let out a laugh and sipped more of her nasty coffee. She wasn't a fan of black coffee anymore but she hadn't wanted to correct her.

Jess's phone began to vibrate again.

"Ugg! Wrong number man!" She grunted quickly responding before shoving it back in her purse. Sara was about to suggest they meet up next week when the phone began to vibrate almost manically. Jess looked rather confused as she picked up her phone.

"What the hell…"

"Is it still the same number?"

"Yeah, check it out." She showed Sara the phone.

_I miss you darling_

_I miss you so much. Please come home_

_I can't eat, doesn't that make you sad? I'm dying without you._

_I can barely sleep. All of my dreams are about you…it makes me so sad sweetheart_

Sara could feel the hair on her neck stand up straight. Her arms began to shake.

"Fucking weirdo, must've gone through some rough break up. Still, learn your girlfriend's number. Probably one of the reasons she left…

"W-what makes you say it's a guy?" her palms were sweaty.

"Oh intuition. Girls don't get obsessed like this. Well, they don't show it this way."

Obsessed. That word seemed to kind, too normal, to _sane_ to describe what this was. Sara could feel her feet going numb. Her heart was racing.

This was not happening.

"Jess I need to go." Sara grabbed her bag and tried to stand up but slammed her knee into the top of the table making her fall back on to the vinyl seat in agony.

"Oh Sara, you ok?" Jess tried to contain the laugh in her voice. Sara could hear her heart racing, nearly bursting and was sure everybody else in the restaurant could too. Her breathing got shallow, she couldn't get in enough oxygen. "Sara…you, you ok?" Jess leaned over the table letting the phone to the side so Sara could see the new messages

_Don't go. I've missed you so much. Can't we talk?_

_I've give you space haven't I? I've been a good boy. Don't I deserve a little reward?_

"Nononono I'm having a panic attack." She said as she found herself curled into the fetal position in the booth.

"Shit! Err do you have medication or…something?" Jess had come over to the other side of the table, the phone began to buzz making a shrieking sound against the plastic table. And again. And again.

_What's wrong dear?_

_Is it something _I _said?_

_Do you need some help? _

The world was attacking her. Nothing seemed right, her lungs could get any air, her heart was pumping too fast, she was dying. She was going to die. And if she didn't he was going to get her…she could say which was worse.

"Um, can you help us? She's having a panic attack!" Jess said to anybody around. A few waiters began to crowd the table.

"What happened?"  
"She's having a panic attack

"Does she have meds?

"No"

"Do you want water?

"Out of the way, let's take her out of here." A rather large man shoved aside the others to get to Sara. Cradling her in his chest he began to carry her out of the shop into an empty alley. Jess tailed along asking about a million questions about him and who he was.

"Look, I had panic attacks as a kid. She just needs time away from whatever triggered it." He gruffed. Jess shut her mouth and crouched down next to the still shaking Sara.

It hadn't helped at all. He was still there…he still knew where she was…

"Hey, it's ok Sara. Want me to hail a taxi to take you home?" Jess asked in a gentle voice that made Sara want to slap her.

This was her fault. She made her go outside her bubble. She helped him find her again, she was the one that carried her mobile around with her everywhere. The man who had helped her nodded to Jess.

"That would probably be a good an idea, you should go with her too. Make sure she gets to bed." Jess nodded and gave Sara a quick once over before running back into the coffee shop to grab her purse.

Them being alone only made Sara more uneasy. The circles he was making on her back was not soothing but almost possessive. Frightening. She tried to scoot away from him but he held her firmly.

"Thank you but please just—just stop." She said leaning away and nearly falling off the curb. She had positioned herself so she was beneath him, he almost leered above her.

His face remained very neutral but the way his body moved was like a tiger. He lunged at her, it was a lunge to kill.

He grabbed her by the waist despite her furious kicking and quickly covered her mouth before she could let her first scream out.

"Now, now. That's not very grateful." He muttered as he lifted her. "Shit you're heavier then he said" she furiously kicked at him, her flimsy flats did not help inflict any damage upon the hulk of a man. His shoulder was like a rock and it nearly knocked the wind out of her as he tossed her over it. She began to scream again. "Oh fuck, he said dropping her on the she braced herself for impact and tried to roll as soon as she hit the ground.

She hit the side of her head and the pain felt like her head was going to split. Her chest felt like it was going to collapse on itself and she could feel the huge bruise forming on her forearms but she still tried to crawl away. Even a measly inch away felt safer.

Her vision was swimming, her senses all became a foggy haze then ran together. She thought she heard the brute saying something but the ringing in her ears was all she could remember.

Her shirt rode up as she crawled nearly scrapping her stomach raw.

"Oh dear, you've gotten rather banged up. That was not supposed to happen." A new pair of feet was beside her and lifted her up very gently.

"Jess?" she in vain tried to call. But the new man just tsked.

"Now Sara, you're going to be a good girl and come with us without a fight right?" He asked her as one would as a child.

Her ears were ringing and her head felt like it was going to burst into sheer white pain but she heard that part very clearly.

"How do you know my name?" She knew the answer. The men had brought her around the building to a street by a parked taxi cab. The one carrying her let out a dry laugh.

"I think you know." He wasn't wrong. She felt her eyes water. Not just from the intense pain the racked her body but from fear and self-loathing. She had fallen into the web again, she had wandered right into whatever disgusting plan he had for her. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! "Now, now, cheer up!" He placed her in the back seat. "You've got a date!"


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews! You guys are awesome! I'm not super happy with this chapter. It's been rewritten many times. I hope you guys like it!

xx

Sara's head was throbbing and her ears stung with sharp ringing. She had been thrown into the van then must have been hit on the head. That was the last thing she remembered when she finally began to regain consciousness. They must have nearly cracked her head open with the amount of pain she was still in. Somehow, her body wasn't in crippling pain, because it was supported by a feather soft mattress. She was still in a haze, she could only make out a few weak lights. Dark red sheer curtains draped around the bed. She tried to sit up but her body was still sore and as she shifted and felt a clamp around her leg.

Completely out of hope she just flopped back down and muttered "OH fuck me!"

"Well if you insist." a voice lightly chuckled. His voice. His light Irish brogue sent an involuntary shiver throughout her entire body. Her heart had been pounding nonstop since she saw the phone, but at that second it was perfectly still. Everything just shut down, her body was comatose, her mind was blank everything was just…unreal. He crawled next to her, she could feel his breath on her neck.

"Hi Sara. It's, ah, it's been awhile! Hasn't it?" Sara was starting to go into shock. He was here. He had caught her. "I missed you. I thought all you need was a little time alone and you'd be ready to come back. You know I'll wait forever for you Sara…" his voice was breaking, almost as if was ready to cry. As if he actually had feelings. He was a monster, she wasn't going to let him get to her. She squeezed her eyes tighter and started to bring her head between her knees. "But it was just so _lonesome_ without you. And I knew you were missing me too so I just had to come find you." She covered her ears, hoping it was all a bad dream even though she knew it was very _very_ real. "Sara do you know what it's like to have your heart burned out of you? That's what it felt like when you left."

His arms wrapped around her waist and forced her onto his lap. He placed his fingers beneath her chin and turned her face so she was looking at him.

"I know I can be a bit short tempered—but we can make it work. We love each other after all…"

"I. don't—"she was going into shock. Or at least something like shock, she could barely move or think.

"Oh Sara, my sweet, sweet Sara." He buried his face in her hair, inhaling her. "You are going to be so happy."

"You kidnapped me." she croaked as he hugged her even closer, despite the fact this tugged on her shackles.

"What? No my love. This was a rescue mission. You poor thing, you don't even realize," He began to stroke her face lovingly "my job is not the safest one to have when you have a sweetheart. If any of my enemies found out how much you mean to me and I wasn't there to protect you…" he brought her head to his chest.

"I am so lost without you. Won't you please let me love you again? I—I can change. I haven't killed anybody since you left!" He looked down earnestly at her. The disbelief was clear on her face. "Ok I helped out with a _few_ but that was to help purchase our new home." He looked at it with such pride. "This is a place just for you and me. Nobody else, no work. Just us! That was a problem before right? Now we have so much more time to be with each other!"

Part of her just wanted to cave in. She would live in her golden cage while he went around blowing up the Kremlin and he would fetch her at night to cuddle with and she would pretend he wasn't a psychopath. _No. He is manipulating me. He's going to kill me when he gets bored. He doesn't love me. He never has loved me. No. No. _

"No. Jim this isn't what I want. I want to move on, I want a new—

"But there is nobody else! You are my only one Sara, the only girl I have ever truly loved. I can't let that go! You know I can't."

"You don't love me. You're a psychopath." she whispered. She wish she could just will her voice to be strong and commanding. Jim flipped her around and looked very serious. Fear started to overtake her senses. He had never been violent with her before but she had read books on stalkers and psychopaths. Rejection leads to violence.

"You think I don't love you. Is that what this is all about?" he let out a deranged laugh. He got up and off the bed, laughing the entire time. Sara sat up and scooted back as far as her restraints would let her. He turned to her with his arms out stretched. "I bought you a house. A house. What do you want me to DO?" He snarled at her and began to run his fingers through his hair. She flinched back and started to whimper. His face soften and he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Jim. I left. I don't want to be with you anymore-"

"Why not?!"

"You scare me."

"_Me_? You're afraid of me? Dear do you have any idea of how insane you sound right now?" he was near hysterics. He let out a dry laugh then mouthed 'me' again and rubbed his eyes. "Why would you be afraid of me? I'm not going to hurt you! Is it because of those thugs? I kill them. I'll let you kill them!"

"Just fucking stop!" tears began to leak from her eyes as she screamed at him in vain.

"I CAN'T FUCKING STOP, I LOVE YOU!" He grabbed her ankles and pulled her under him. "Don't you think it would make my life much easier if I didn't have to worry about you all the time? Can you imagine where I would be right now if I didn't spend so much time and money and effort on YOU? Do you think I want to have you on my mind all the time? " he pressed his chest down to her and she squirmed beneath. He leaned down so his lips were brushing her ears. With the drop of a hat he suddenly was soft, he kindly touched her cheeks. "But I can't get you out of my head. You are so ordinary and _adorable_ I can't help myself. You're mine Sara. You're my Sara." she stopped squirming.

He began to press light kisses to her ear then trailed down to her cheeks. "What do i have to do? What do you want?"

"What do I want?"

"Name it." he began to nuzzle her neck and her stomach began to knot. He was a poison, an infection that could never be remedied.

"I want to go home." He sat up, freeing her torso for a moment. Sara was about to plead with him again when he slapped her across the face. She let out a cry and tried to grab her cheek but he grabbed her wrists and pinned her down.

"_This is your home_. And you are going to be happy here. Whether you like it or not."


End file.
